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OTES 



|e ^tate of ^onora. 



I860. 






ISTOTES 



THE STATE OF SONORA 



CHARLES P. STONE, 



I860. 



c/i 1 V 




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■WASHINGTON: 
HENRY POLKINHORN PRINTER. 

1861. 



B03Sroii.A._ 



The Mexican State of Sonora, is bounded on tlie north 
by that portion of United States territory, called Arizona, 
in the jurisdiction of New Mexico ; on the east by the 
Mexican State of Chihuahua, from which it is separated 
by the great mountain chain, the Sierra Madre ; on the 
south by the State of Sinaloa, from which it is separated 
by the river del Fuerte ; and on the west by the Sea of 
Cortes, (Gulf of California) and the territory of Lower 
California. 

The northern boundary line commences on the west, at 
a point of the Colorado river, twenty miles below the 
mouth of the Gila river, lat. 32° 29' 44.45" N., long. 
114° 48' 44.53" W., and runs on a great circle of the 
earth, southeasterly to the intersection of 31 deg. 20 min. 
north, and the 111th meridian of longitude west of Green- 
wich ; thence it follows the parallel 31 deg. 30 min., east 
to near meridian 108 deg. west ; thence the boundary line 
runs north, to parallel 31 deg. 47 min., when it again turns 
east, following that course to the summit of the great chain 
which is the limit between Sonora and Chihuahua. The 
eastern boundary line, has never been exactly deter- 
mined on the ground by the Mexican government ; but it 
is to be marked along the crest of the Cordillera, which 
runs nearly south, with occasional deflections from a right 
line. 




The uncertainty which exists as to the exact course of 
the eastern boundary, makes it extremely difficult to make 
a calculation of the area of the State. But as nearly as I 
can at present estimate, it seems to be about eighty thou- 
sand square miles, all included between the parallels 26 de- 
grees and 32J degrees north latitude. The State is washed, 
along its western boundary for more than 500 miles, by the 
waters of the Sea of Cortes ; and has the advantage of sev- 
eral large and many small rivers : 1st. The Colorado of the 
West, which forms a portion of its western boundary, and 
is navisrable for small steamers for hundreds of miles 
above its mouth. 2d. The river Yaqui, which, 'rising in 
the northeastern part of the State, flows nearly the whole 
length of it from north to south, receives, among others, 
the waters of the river Mulatos, and empties into the sea 
some twenty-five miles south of Guaymas. 3d. The Fuerte, 
forming the southern boundary. 4th. The Mayo, the 
course of which lies between those of the Fuerte and the 
Yaqui, where it turns west. 5th. The river Sonora, which 
rises in the north of the State, east of the middle meridian, 
flows southerly as far as Ures, the capital, and then turns 
westerly past Hermosillo, towards the sea, (receiving in its 
course the little river San Miguel,) which, however, it 
never reaches, its waters being appropriated for irrigation 
along its whole course, and those which escape this use 
being lost in the sand-plains near the coast. 6th. The 
river San Ignacio, which rises near the northern boundary 
and the middle meridian, flows south to La Magdalena, 
and thence westerly past Altar, to sink in the sand-plains 
of the coast, having first received the waters of the river 
of Altar, an intermittent stream. 



The river Santa Cruz, wliicTi rises in American territory, 
flows south, west, and north west, re-entering our terri- 
tory after a course of some fifty miles in Sonora. 

The face of the country presents every possible diversity 
of appearance and formation. Along the coast, from the 
mouth of the Colorado to the island of Tiburon, are found 
vast plains of barren sand, broken only by isolated short 
ranges of volcanic hills. Proceeding along the coast to 
the south, spurs from the interior ranges of mountains 
jut out into the sea, and make a rock-bound coast until 
you pass below Gruaymas, when the eye rests with pleas- 
ure on the broad and fertile valleys of the Yaqui and the 
Mayo rivers, backed by the great mountain mass of the 
Cordillera in the distance. 

In traversing the interior, one is surprised in passing 
through long tracts of desert, that there can be a country 
so sterile and iitterly unproductive ; and the next hour, is 
astonished at the wonderful beauty and fertility of some 
broad and well watered valley, which is entered. The 
foreigner will find himself wondering at the luxuriant 
crops produced by the imperfect cultivation in use there, 
and at the broad leagues of excellent lands left uncultiva- 
ted for want of a little outlay of labor in clearing them 
and supplying them with the necessary irrigation. It 
would be hard to find, in any quarter of the globe, more 
worthless or barren and unreclaimable land than some 
along the north-western coast, and it would be impossible 
to find more productive and beautiful agricultural lands 
than those along the rivers of the south, centre, and east of 
the State, or richer pasturage, for millions of cattle, than 



is afforded by the foot hills of the Sierras, and the rolling 
hills and plains of the centre and northeast of Sonora. 

Notwithstanding the great extent of sea coast, the State 
has but one good port, capable of receiving shipping of all 
classes; in any important number. This is the port of 
Guaymas, situated in lat. 27 deg. 55 min. 34.46 sec. N., Ion. 
110 deg. 56 min. 4 sec. W. of Greenwich. This port is per- 
fectly land-locked, has a safe and deep entrance, affording 
at low tide five fathoms of water, and is sufficiently spa- 
cious to meet the requirements of a first class commercial 
town. The port is divided into what are called the inner 
and the outer harbor, the first being used by all vessels 
drawing less than seventeen feet of water, the latter afford- 
ing good and safe anchorage for ships drawing from four 
to five fathoms. A good supply of back-water, is furnish- 
ed by the large but shallow bay of Old Guaymas, which 
discharges, at each ebb tide, a strong current through the 
outer harbor. 

Near the mouth of the river Mayo, is the port of Santa 
Cruz, an open roadstead, where vessels sometime discharge 
cargo. It is not a harbor. Between the Mayo and Fuerte 
rivers, there is a small harbor, in what is called the Bay 
of Ajiobampo ; it is perfectly land-locked, and has deep 
water and good holding ground; but the entrance is crook- 
ed, and on the bar, it has, at low tide, only 2| fathoms of 
water, A few miles northwest of Guaymas, there is an 
excellent harbor, perfectly land-locked, and affording en- 
trance and protection to vessels of the largest class ; but it 
is very small, and cannot shelter more than three or four 
large ships at a time, if swinging at their anchors. 

What is called the harbor of Lobos, north of the island 



\ 



of Tiburon, affords slielter in one part from northerly, and 
in another from southerly winds; but in no part of the so 
called harbor, is a vessel safe from all winds. The same 
remark applies to the "Bay of Pinacater called on the 
English charts "Adair Bay,'' near the month of the Col- 
orado river; bntthe anchorage is bad, the bottom being 
rocky in many places, and there is no protection from 
westerly winds. This bay has the additional disadvantage 
of the want of a bold shore ; and as the tides sometimes 
rise twenty-odd feet above low water mark, vessels are 
obliged to anchor at a great distance from the dry land- 
ing. Guaymas must therefore always remain the port of 
Sonora, for all foreign commerce : and through it must pass 
all imports destined for that State, and the territory of 
Arizona on the north. 

The principal cities and towns in Sonora, are Hermo- 
sillo, Ures, Alamos, Grnaymas, Altar, La Magdalena, and 
Arispe. 

HEEMOSILLO, 

The first in population and present commercial importance, 
was originally established as a military station under the 
name of the " Presidio of Pitied Afterwards it became a 
pueblo, under the same name, and then was declared a 
ciudad, or city, under its present name. The population 
was estimated to be 5,000 at the time of Iturbide's gov- 
ernment, (1822,) and in 1840 it was estimated at 13,000, 
including domesticated Indians. In 1850, Yelasco esti- 
mated it at least 15,000; but from the best sources of 
information within my reach, while there in 1858-9, I 
am inclined to think he overestimated it ; for, although 
the population has undoubtedly diminished, it has not 



8 

done so with such rapidity as to reduce it to its present 
number, which I think does not exceed 11,000 souls, in 
eluding the resident Indians. 

The city is pleasantly situated on the north bank of 
the Sonora river, at a point nearly north of Guaymas har- 
bor, and about one hundred miles distant from it. 

It contains but few public buildings, and these are not 
large or handsome ; but many of the dwelling-houses 
are spacious, handsomely built, and richly furnished. 
Many of the private dwellings of the richer class have 
gardens and vineyards of several acres in extent at- 
tached to them, producing, in their season, abundance 
of figs, pomegranites, oranges, lemons, melons and grapes. 
The surplus water of the river is skilfully turned through 
the town in small canals, furnishing an abundant supply of 
water for domestic purposes, and for irrigating the gardens, 
orchards, and vineyards, as well as the numerous grain 
fields on the outskirts of the city. The climate is health- 
ful and agreeable, excepting during the months of July and 
August, when, during the day, the heat is excessive; the 
thermometer sometimes ranging as high as 95 or 100 deg. 
Farh.; but even in those months, the nights are cool and 
agreeable, as the sea breeze from the gulf invariably sets 
in when the sun goes down. Hermosillo receives annu- 
ally from abroad, through the port of Guaymas, about two 
millions of dollars worth of foreign goods, which are sold 
thence to the merchants of the interior towns. These 
goods consist of cloths, cotton goods, (especially the coarse 
brown sheetings,) lawns and other goods for dress, hard- 
ware of every description, iron and steel for all purposes of 
mining and agriculture, a little machinery, and lumber 



from California and the soutliei-n coast. Slie boasts of two 
steam power flouring mills, several mills worked by horse 
power, a manufactory of wagons, producing excellent work, 
and numerous small mechanical establishments in the dif- 
ferent branches of art. Her vineyards produce, annually, 
for home consumption, from 1,000 to 1,500 barrels of brandy, 
and some wine. Above and below Hermosillo, along the 
river, the lands are exceedingly productive, and yield un- 
rivalled crops of wheat and corn, and some little sugar. 
Long trains of wagons are constantly plying between Her- 
mosillo and Gruaymas, carrying down hides, wheat, and 
flour for exportation, and bringing back foreign goods. 
The wheat of this region is the finest I have ever seen ; 
and it is so highly esteemed in that great wheat-growing 
country, California, that it is sent there in large quanti- 
ties to be used for seed ; commanding, in the market of San 
Francisco, a price 50 per cent, above that of native wheat. 
The crops are put in in November, and harvested in May; 
they rarely suffer from rust or smut, but do some years 
from late frosts in the spring, after the berry has formed. 

u R E s , 

"Which has been the capital of the State most of the time 
since 1838, is situated in a beautiful portion of the Sonora 
river valley, 47 miles, by the post road, from Hermosillo. 
It was founded very early, by the Jesuit fathers, as a mis- 
sionary station ; and in the Jesuit records of Father Alegre, 
J find the pueblo of Tires, mentioned in the notes on the 
year 1646. It seems to have been first occupied as a mis- 
sion, about the year 1635, by the apostolic priest Father 
Pedro Mendez, who labored forty years in those regions, 



10 

and subjected tribe after tribe of savages to the rules of 
civilized life. It derives its name from that of the tribe 
of Indians found there when the missionaries entered. 
The town is but poorly built, and, for a capital city, is sin- 
gularly destitute of public buildings. 

The population was estimated at 7,000 in 1850. At 
present, it hardly rises to half that number. The country 
along the river, above and below Ures, is picturesque and 
very productive. The principal crops, are wheat and corn. 
Some little sugar and tobacco are also produced. Cotton 
has been successfully grown here, and yielded remarkably 
well ; but in consequence of the loss of one or two crops by 
some peculiarity of the season, its culture has been entirely 
abandoned. Tobacco yields there an abundant crop, and 
its quality is excellent. 

ALAMO s 

Is a mining town situated between the rivers Mayo and 
Fuerte, and is (1859) the second place in Sonora in res- 
pect to population, which amounts to about 6,000 souls. 

Alamos represents a large amount of wealth, drawn from 
the mines of silver, which abound in the district, and have 
been successfully worked since about 1690. 

From its situation, far removed from the country of the 
Apaches, it is free from the attacks of those savages, and 
industrial pursuits can be carried on in its neighborhood 
with much more safety than about the towns of the north 
and centre. 

The mines being abundant and productive, but little 
attention, comparatively, is paid to other branches of in- 
dustry ; but there are some extensive and well conducted 



11 

ranclios and haciendas, wliicTi supply grains, coarse sugar, 
beans, beef, and working animals, for the purposes of the 
district. In times of quiet, and absence of revolution, 
(wliicli, during the past few years have been but few and 
short) this district has supplied large numbers of mules 
and horses for the markets of California. 

G U A Y M A S , 

Or San Fernando de Guaymas, is built close to the waters 
of the inner harbor of Guaj^-mas, already mentioned, and 
contained, in 1859, a population estimated at from 2,500 to 
3,000 souls, supported principally by the foreign commerce. 
The town is surrounded, on the land side, by high hills, 
nearly destitute of vegetation ; and from the north, these 
hills crowd down so abruptly upon the town, as to leave but 
little room for extension in that direction ; but to the east, 
west, and southwest, there is abundance of space for a large 
commercial town. The climate is oppressively hot during 
the months of June, July, August and September. For many 
days in succession, the thermometer ranges, throughout 
the day, at 95 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit ; and, being closed 
in by dark rocky hills, which absorb the heat of the sun 
during the day and evolve it after sunset, the nights of this 
season are almost as oppressive as the days. To add to the 
discomfort during the summer, there sometimes blow from 
the north, strong winds ; which, gathering heat and fine dust 
from the parched plains of the interior, serve to almost suffo- 
cate every living thing exposed to them. These simooms, 
which fortunately are not very frequent, drive the inhabit- 
ants within doors, where — ^ with windows, doors, and shut- 
ters closed — they suffer intensely from the stifling heat. 



12 

During the rest of the year the temperature is very agree- 
able ; frost occurs in December and January. 

The supply of drinking-water for the town, comes from 
wells in the outskirts — most of them at least thirty yards 
deep. The water is slightly tainted with salts, but is very 
healthful, and after a few weeks' use, the taste is found to 
be agreeable. Should Guaymas ever become a large town, it 
will be necessary to construct large tanks for the preser- 
vation of rain water, and to bring an additional supply 
from springs some sixteen miles from the harbor. 

The business of importing and selling on commission, for- 
eign goods, is all in the hands of foreign houses, of which 
the principal are : one Venezuelan, two Spanish, one Amer- 
ican, and one German, altogether representing a business 
capital of perhaps one and a half millions of dollars, and 
receiving, by purchase and on commission, imports to the 
amount of from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 annually of goods 
from foreign ports and those of the west coast of Mexico. 
To meet the value of the imports, there are shipped, princi- 
pally, silver and gold bullion to Europe and California; flour 
for the supply of Mazatlan, San Bias, Manzanillo, Colima, 
and Acapulco ; wheat, copper and hides, to California. There 
are owned, in Guaymas, and constantly employed in the 
trade there, two barks and two large schooners, besides 
many small coasters, of an aggregate tonnage of probably 
fifteen hundred or two thousand tons, which are all 
employed in traffic between Guaymas, San Francisco, and 
the ports of the west coast. The heavy imports are usually 
direct from England, and come in English bottoms. 

The export of flour, probably reaches twenty or 
twenty-five thousand barrels per annum, and of wheat, in 



13 

good seasons, perhaps 20,000 bushels. With diiferent reg- 
ulations concerning the exportation of mineral ores, a 
large trade might be carried on there in the ores of copper 
and silver from localities where it is difficult to reduce 
them. At present, the exportation of silver ores is prohib- 
ited by law. Hides, form an important article of export ; 
but I have been unable to procure any exact information 
as to the number shipped. The health of Gruaymas is 
always good. It has once been visited with the cholera ; 
but with this one exception, it seems to have been always 
free from epidemics. The residents are sociable with 
strangers, and very hospitable. 

ALTAR 

"Was established as the military post for the protection of 
the northwestern missions, about the year 1700. It had 
but little white population until after the revolution against 
the Spaniards ; but in the year 1837, gold placers having 
been discovered in the neighborhood, the population in- 
creased rapidly, until it reached an estimate of 6,000, 
including Indians. With the decline of the placers, the 
population began to diminish ; and it is not now a place of 
great importance. Near the northern frontier, on the bend 
of the San Ignacio river, is the now flourishing town of 
"La MagdalenaP Of but little importance before the acqui- 
sition of Arizona by the United States, and known only 
for its annual fairs and its exposed position to the attacks 
of the Apache Indians, it has, since 1853, rapidly im- 
proved in appearance and condition, as well as in popu- 
lation; and an active trade exists between this town and 
the settlements of Arizona, which draw from Magdalena 



14 

tlieir principal supplies of corn, flour, beef, &;c. The pop- 
ulation appeared to me to be about 2,000 in 1859, and 
several merchants tlicre seemed to be doin-j; a thrivins: 
business. 

ARISPE 

AY as, in the time of the Spanish rule, the capital of the 
province, and continued so through the government of 
Iturbide ; and in 1822, cootained more than 2,000 inhabi- 
tants. Now, it hardly contains 600 souls. It is delight- 
fully situated on the Sonora river, in the midst of a fertile 
country, and surrounded by excellent pastures and mines 
of silver; but the country far and near, is devastated by 
the Apaches, who approach without apparent fear, to the 
town itself, and strip the pastures of all the cattle and 
horses which come in their way. For this cause, the pop- 
ulation has steadily diminished ever since its abandonment 
as the capital. 

This was the point selected by President Buchanan for 
the principal military station of troops of the United States 
which he recommended Congress to establish in Sonora, to 
give protection against the hostile Indians. As soon as his 
message was published in Sonora, Arispe was, by the 
Governor, again declared the capital of the State. But it 
would be highly dangerous for the Governor to attempt 
to visit his new capital, without an escort of at least fifty 
of his best soldiers. 

Allowing liberally for the population scattered through 
the villages, mines, haciendas, and ranches, the white and 
mixed population of Sonora cVnnot exceed 60,000 souls. 

The Indian population is large, and, properly regulated, 



15 

would be exceedingly useful. As it is, the labor of the 
State, in mines and agriculture, is really performed by the 
Indians. Of these, the most numerous tribe is that of the 
Yaquis. This tribe now occupy the same territory in 
which they were found by the Spaniards in the year 1853, 
when Diego de Guzman* made an excursion among them, 
seeking captives to enslave. Guzman, who had been, 
accustomed to instantly putting the Indians to flight, on 
his appearance among those of Sinaloa, was astonished to 
find these people forming in squadrons to oppose him, and 
in the first engagement he had two of his men. and ten of 
his horses wounded. He retired from the Yaqui river, 
without gaining a single captive. An attempt was made 
by the Spanish captain, Martinez de Hurdaide, about the 
year 1609, to bring the Yaquis to terms by force of arms. 
This he three times attempted, with ill success, losing each 
time a large number of his men, and being obliged each 
time to retire from their country.f 

Bight years later, the Jesuit priests, Fathers Rivas and 
Basilio, went among the Yaquis accompanied only by a 
few friendly Indians, and in the course of very few years 
gathered the entire nation, which could then assemble 
from eight to ten thousand fighting men, and must have 
numbered from 40,000 to 50,000 souls, into towns which 
they established along the river ; and reduced them all to 
civilization and Christianity. From that day to this, the 
Yaqui Indians have retained their pueblos, or towns, along 
their river, governed by chiefs of their own tribe, appointed 
by the Spanish and Mexican governments. 

*Buckinghara Smith, " CoLjreccioa de Documentos," published 
1857, Madrid, pp. 95, et seq. ' 

t Rivas, Historia de los Triunfos de la fe, Madrid, 1645. 



16 

The towns are, counting from the coast up the river, 
Belen, near the mouth, Suiviris, Rahun, Potam, Bicam, 
Torin, BarAim, Cocori ; the last being near the mountains. 
The Yaquis have, from the earliest time, been exceedingly 
jealous of all whites, and have looked with displeasure on 
the residence of any in their towns, excepting always the 
Catholic priests, who are highly respected by them, as a 
class from whom they have always received kindness and 
benefits, and never injuries. 

The lands of the Yaqui valley, are unsurpassable for 
beauty and fertility. Nearly every crop known in Amer- 
ica, from sugar and coffee, to corn and wheat, can be raised 
' with success ; one crop each year growing from the supply 
of water furnished the soil by the annual freshets, and one 
more can be raised by a little care in irrigating. 

Formerly, large herds of cattle, bands of horses, and 
immense flocks of sheep, were to be found near these 
Indian towns ; and a single mission on the river was pos- 
sessed, during the last days of the Spanish rule, of more 
than forty thousand shetp and goats. But the frequent 
wars which have been made upon them during the past 
forty years, have nearly destroyed the cattle and sheep. 
During the war of 1857-8, thousands of cattle and sheep 
were driven off by the State troops, and sold in the upper 
country. 

From that time to this, there has been almost continuous 
war between the Yaquis and the State authorities; and 
the condition of the towns must be very miserable. These 
Indians arc not only the most numerous, but are the best 
laborers in the northwest of Mexico. They are of good 
stature, strongly built, and well made. They form the 



17 

great body of farm laborers, workers in tbe mines, porters 
and longsboremen in the ports, and pearl-divers in tbe 
gulf. The usnal price of their labor, is from four to six 
dollars per month, with a ration of corn. It is difS.cult 
to form an estimate of their numbers, since from their 
manner of living, it is not easy to find out the populations 
of the towns, and there are at all times many thousands 
scattered through the State as servants, miners and labor- 
ers, I think they may number in all, perhaps twenty thou- 
sand, including women and children, notwithstanding the 
great losses they have sustained in the late wars. In the 
year 1740, when an insurrection occurred among them, 
they presented a mass of ten thousand fighting men for 
giving battle to the Spaniards. In the conflicts following 
this rising, they are said to have lost five thousand men 
left dead on the fields of battle.'^ 

The origin of the name "Yaqui," is thus given by 
Father Eivas, the first priest who went among them : ''It 
happened to me, when I entered this country, they came 
to see and welcome me according to their custom ; and 
they spoke in so loud a tone, that I, being surprised, and 
deeming it a token of arrogance unusual' among the 
nations I had visited, said to them, in order to moderate 
this arrogance, that it was not proper for them to speak 
in that rough tone, when coming peaceably to salute the 
priest who came to teach them the word of Grod, * * * 
Their reply was : 'Dost thou not see that I am a SiaquiV 
and this they said, because the word anct name Hiaqui sig- 
nifies one who speaks in shouts ^ 

The Mayo Indians, occupy towns on the river of the 

* Velasco. 



18 

same name. They were first reduced by the Jesuit priest 
Father Pedro Mendez, in the early part of the 17th centu- 
ry. They were from the first a docile and laborious peo- 
ple, given to agriculture, and raising considerable crops 
of Indian corn at the time of the entry of the Spaniards. 
Their name comes from their position, and means in their 
own language boundary, they having been bounded on 
both sides by hostile tribes, and kept confined within 
their boundaries. Father Mendez assembled them in 
towns, and these towns they still hold, named Santa Cruz, 
(near the sea,) Echojoa, Guitajoa, Cuirimpo, Nabajoa, Nezia, 
Canamoa (or Camoa) Conicari, and Macollagui. The num- 
ber of these Indians does not probably exceed 10,000 or 
12,000. From long continued intercourse -vNdththeYaquis, 
they have become very like them in their habits, customs, 
and hates, and they have sometimes joined the Yaquis in 
their wars against the whites. In the early days of Span- 
ish occupation, they were anxious to have the whites 
among them, and encouraged their imigrationto their lands. 
The Onavas and Opata Indians, occupy towns east and 
southeast of Ures ; they, like the two preceding tribes, were 
christianized'in the early days of Spanish occupation, at 
which time they occupied the whole western slope of the Si- 
erra, from the headwaters of the Sonora river to Nuri, near 
the Yaqui towns. They were then esteemed different 
tribes in different localities, and are named in the old re- 
cords as Johas, Tequimas, Teguis and Coguinachies. Now, they 
are few in number, and more given to service in the army 
than to labor on the farms and in the mines. Yet, in 
times of peace, they are laborious and industrious in culti- 
vating their fields. Until within a few years, they have 



19 

formed an important portion of the troops of Sonora, and 
they have rendered signal services against the Apaches ; 
but they are now at war with its government. 

The Ceris are a peculiar tribe of Indians^ occupying 
the island of Tiburon and the neighboring coast. 

They are yet in a perfectly savage state, and live solely 
by fishing and hunting. Having been at war with the 
whites from the time of the first missions, they have 
become reduced in numbers to about 300, counting some 
eighty warriors. They are of large stature, well made and 
athletic. In war, and in the chase, they make use of poi- 
soned arrows, the woimds from which are almost always 
fatal. In preparing the poison, it is said they procure the 
liver of a deer or cow, and by irritating rattlesnakes and 
scorpions with it, cause it to be struck by a great many 
of these reptiles. They then hang up the mass to putrify 
in a bag, and in the drippings of this bag they soak their 
arrow heads. I cannot vouch for the truth of this state- 
ment, but it is current in Sonora. I was informed by a 
gentleman in Hermosillo, that one of his servants, who 
was slightly shot by a Ceris' arrow, died quickly from the 
effect of the wound, (which mortified almost immediately) 
in spite of the best medical treatment. Their language is 
gutteral, and very different from any other Indian idiom 
in Sonora. It is said that on one occasion, some of these 
Indians passed by a shop in Guaymas, where some Welsh 
sailors were talking, and on hearing the Welsh language 
spoken, stopped, listened, and appeared much interested ; 
declaring that those white men were their brothers, for- 
they had a tongue like their own. They are very filthy- 
in their habits, and are said to be worshippers of the> 
moon. 



20 



THE PAPAGOKS 



Are a tribe of Indians occnpying the northeastern fron- 
tier of the State, and were formerly called the lower Pimas. 
They live principally by hunting, and sometintes pnrsue 
their game near Hermosillo, and between there and Goay- 
mas. They are very warlike, and are bitter enemies of 
the Apaches, from which cause they have of late years 
been very useful to the whites. These Indians were visi- 
ted in 1687, by the Jesuit priest, Francisco Eusebio Kiihn, 
(called, in the Spanish, Kino,) who established missions and 
towns among them, gathered them into communities, and 
taught them civilization and Christianity, He obtained an 
order from the audience of Guadalajara, that his neophytes 
should not be enslaved by the Spaniards, either in the 
mines or on farms, for five years after their conversion ; 
and this term was afterwards prolonged to twenty years. 
So long as this order was enforced, these Indians advanced 
rapidly in civilization; but this remarkable man, who, 
alone braved the dangers of long journeys through So- 
nora, to the Gila and Colorado rivers, who preached and 
taught the gospel and arts of civilization to the Papagoes, 
Apaches, Pimos, Yumas, Cocopas, and Maricopas, estab- 
lishing missions and villages along the whole length of 
the Gila, where the troops of the King dared not enter, 
except in numerous force, died in 1710, and his neophytes 
were left to the mercy of the speculators of the day. In 
spite of the protestations of the few priests left behind him 
in the missions, by Father Kiihn, the tamed Indians were 
forced into the mines, and to excessive labor on the planta- 
tions ; and soon roused to insurrection, the Papagoes drove 
the whites from among them. From that time to the pre- 



21 

sent, excepting a slight reTolntion in 1840, they have con- 
tented themselves with the independence of all Spanish 
and Mexican gover:inT" :_ _ vre always enjoyed, in 
feet, and have been willing to recognize the Mexican gov- 
eroment so long as it does not interfere with, them in their 
own conntry. Fortonately for them, the conntry they 
occupy is not very valnable for agricnltnral pnrposes, and 
I believe they do not object to the whites searching for 
minerals there. 

The great scourge of Sonora, do not make their residence 
in irreat nnmbers within the limits of the State. 

The tribes or bands which mc^ frequently enter to com- 
mit depredations, are the Mescaleros, the Gilenos, the 
Pinah, the Goyoieros, and the CMricaguis. A 11 these 
bands live within United States territory, and only enter 
Sonora for pnrposes of plunder, or to fly pursuit from the 
American troops. In the time of Spanish rule, when res- 
pectable garrisons were kept np, and while the missions 
were maintained, the Apaches were kept at -bay by the 
exertions of the troops, aided by large bands of the mis- 
sion Indians. Their depredations were then mostly con- 
fined to small attacks on the extreme frontier settlements, 
and the frontier was then along the Gila river and the 
San P^ro. But when the J^niits' expulsion was after- 
wards followed by a partial breaking np of the missions 
the whites lost the support of many bands of friendly 
Indians, and the Apaches soon carried on their campaigns 
down to a new frontier, embracing Arispe, Eronteras, and 
Xa Magdalena. This was followed by a retiring of the 
larger populations southward; and the Apaches have 



steadily encroached on the territory of the State, until 
now, they kill, destroy, and rob, as far south as the vicinity 
of Guaymas. During my residence in Sonora in 1858-'9, 
a band of these savages drove off cattle and killed a herds- 
man within ten miles of the port, and I myself have pur- 
sued them within forty miles of that town. It is melan- 
choly to behold this conquest of civilization by savages 
in this century, and to pass through beautiful valleys 
known to have been once teeming with the wealth of a 
civilized population, and now evidently capable of main- 
taining thousands of families, to find them a solitude, and 
with nothing to mark their past prosperity, but the crumb- 
ling walls of the dwellings of their former occupants, and 
the nearly obliterated marks of lost cultivation. 

A single mission, that of Cocospera, at the time the Jesuits 
had charge of the missions, branded in one year 10,000 
head of horses and cattle, the increase of that year ; and 
possessed, at the same time, many thousands of sheep and 
goats. Now, not a hoof exists there, and the horses of a com- 
pany of cavalry, should one be stationed there, would hardly 
be safe from the attacks of the Apaches. 

The mission of Matape, once selected from its herds 800 
milk white bulls, and sent them to Guadalajara ; now, a car- 
avan, guarded by 20 Mexican soldiers, is not safe half a 
mile from the centre of Matape. A single rancho in the 
north, once boasted of thirty thousand head of horned cat- 
tle ; now, the buildings are gone to decay, and not a do- 
mestic animal is to be found there. 

I have known, within the past two years, cattle and 
horses to be driven off in large numbers, within a few 
miles of Hermosillo ; and am informed that during the last 



23 

spring, a higli officer of tlie State, traveling witTi an escort 
between Ures and Arispe, was attacked by the Apaches, 
lost all his baggage and animals, and was himself saved 
only by the speed of his horse. 

The Apaches enter the State from the northeast, in bands 
of from fifty to three hundred. Breaking up into small 
parties of from six to twelve, a district is assigned to each 
party. They carefully reconnoitre the ranchos during the 
first week of the moon, and ascertain where the best and 
fleetest broken horses are kept ; this ascertained, they take 
advantage of the full-moon, seize the well broken and fleet 
horses, mount them themselves, and having thus secured 
good mounts, and deprived their enemies of them, they 
collect all the stock of the place, and whirl it away to an 
agreed upon point of rendezvous, where the whole band 
will soon be assembled; and with the collected plunder, all 
push rapidly to the mountains, and by difficult and dan- 
gerous passes, regain their homes.* They rarely attack 
armed men unless obliged to do so in securing +,heir plun- 
der, or when they have great superiority of numbers ; but 
once engaged, they struggle desperately, and never give 
or expect quarter. 

They always endeavor, during their raids, to capture 
women and children ; these they do not generally kill, 
but retain in captivity, making slaves of the women, and 

*In June, 1859, a large band of these savages from near the Gila, 
entered Sonora. When passing the mail stage station, at Dragoon 
Springs, they stopped and held a talk with the station keeper. The 
chief said, jokingly, that he was going down to drive up stock from 
the great "Apache Rancho,'" Sonora. That there they allowed the 
Sonorans to live, simply for the purpose of raising and herding stock 
for the Apaches. 



24 

bringing up the children, if taken young, in their own 
habits ; some of the boldest and most desperate of their 
warriors, are the sons of their enemies, thus captured in 
childhood. 

The tribes which I have thus hurriedly described, em- 
brace all now in Sonora, excepting a few of the Co-co-pa 
nation, who live along the banks of the Colorado. These 
are described in the report of Lieut. Milcher, to be found 
in Emory's report of the Mexican Boundary Commission. 
The records of the Jesuits name many other tribes and 
nations, such as the Nehomes, Guaimas, Sobaypuris, Nures, 
Tires, &c,; but these were often only separate villages of 
the same nation, and in the other cases, the small tribes 
have become merged in the nations which have been 
described. Counting all the Indians within the State 
limits and outside the white pueblos and cities, I do not 
think their numbers can exceed 60,000 ; so that the entire 
population of the State, counting whites, those of mixed 
blood, civilized, half civilized, and barbarous Indians, will 
not exceed one hundred and twenty thousand — or 1 5-10 
inhabitants to each square mile of territory — and I am 
inclined to think this estimate considerably too high to 
be sustained by a careful census. 

From my own observations, and from the best informa- 
tion I was able to obtain while in Sonora, I estimate that 
there are at least six millions of acres of the best possible 
quality of arable land within the State, with water for 
irrigation at convenient distance. There is more than the 
same quantity of land suitable for cultivation, but requir- 
ing the outlay of capital and labor to make it available. 
One-third of the whole territory may be looked on as 



25 

valueless for agricultural or grazing purposes, and tlie 
balance, or say twenty millions of acres, is available for 
grazing purposes. 

Great as the agricultural resources of the country are, 
there is no doubt but that the mineral resources are greater. 
Commencing at the south, are found the silver mines of 
Alamos and Yayoreca, which have been successfully 
worked from 1690 to the present day, and now yield 
abundantly of rich ore. Between the Mayo and Yaqui 
rivers are the rich silver veins of Yayoreca ; on the Eio 
Chico, a branch of the Yaqui, on the slopes of Great 
Sierra, is the district of Trinidad, abounding in mines of 
silver, copper, and lead. At San Marcial, seventy-five 
miles northeast of Guaymas, silver mines are worked in 
spite of the frequent raids of the Apaches, and revolu- 
tions of the Yaquis. At San Xavier, in the same direc- 
tion, there were formerly many silver veins worked with 
enormous yield; and even now, although the Apaches 
almost possess the district, the silver veins are worked 
with some degree of success. In the neighborhood of 
Oposrira, there are a large number of valuable veins of 
silver, some of which have been opened and successfully 
worked, but all of which are now, and have long been, 
given up from fear of the Apaches. Along the river 
Sonora, there are many mines, abandoned for years past, 
because they cannot be worked in safety. One of these 
was re-opened in 1858, but the son of the owner and his 
servants were killed by the Apaches almost at the outset, 
and the workings were immediately abandoned. 

North of La Magdalena, are the famous mines of the 
planchas de plata, from which were taken, during the 17th 



26 



century, lumps of native silver, a number of whicli weigh- 
ed 600 pounds each. One mass was found, about 1770, 
which weighed, according to the Jesuit records, 3,500 
pounds. Numerous attempts have been made during the 
present century to re-occupy this region. In 1817 an ex- 
pedition of 200 men was started for the purpose, but they 
failed to find the place. The famous expedition of the 
French Count, Eaouset de Boulbon, in our own time, was 
formed with the view of getting possession of this mine. 
General IJlanco, about the same time, with a large force, 
examined 'the district where the treasure was supposed to 
exist, but while he found and denounced a number of rich 
silver veins, he failed to find the masses of pure silver. 

In the Jesuit records of the middle of the last century, 
I find the following : 

"In 1730, there was discovered near the garrison of 
Pimeria, a mine, from which was taken, in a short time, a 
quantity of silver so great, that the inhabitants of New 
Spain were astonished; and it was doubted whether it was 
a mine or a hidden treasure of the Indians." 

But silver is not the only precious metal found in So- 
nora. On the river Mulatos, a gold mine is now worked 
with great success. The metal is found in a vein of de- 
caying quartz, and is of very high standard. Gold is 
worked also in veins near Barajita, on the road from Her- 
mosillo to La Magdalena. These ores produce a steady 
result, but are not what would be called rich in Califorma. 
In the same region, further west, large quantities of 
gold were discovered about the year 1800, in placers ; the 
gold was scattered over the surface of the ground in nug- 
gets from the size of a mustard seed up to that of a large 
pea, and hundreds of lumps were found, weighing from six 



27 

and eight ounces each, to two hundred and sixteen ounces. 
In a few years, all the gold on the surface was picked up,-^' 
and some excavations were made in which gold was found 
disseminated through the soil ; but as the placers were far 
from running water, the labor of transporting the dirt sev- 
eral leagues to water was too great to make the workings 
profitable ; and they were finally abandoned, after having 
produced some millions of dollars in gold. 

Gold is found along the courses of the :^lulatos and So- 
nora rivers, and on some portions of th^^aqui. 

Copper ores abound in the State— some of them rich. 
In the northwestern part, several varieties are found, in- 
cluding the carbonate, red oxide, and sulphuret. 

Near Nacosari are nuii^erous veins of excellent copper 
ore ; also along the Yaqui, below the mouth of the Mu- 
latos, and in the mountains north of Hermosillo. 

Zinc is found between the rivers San Miguel and Sonora. 
Rich veins of lead in the neighborhood of Matape, and along 
the western slope of Sierra, and sulphuret of antimony in 
large quantities in various parts of the State. 

I am satisfied that could the Apaches be conquered, and 
population and capital introduced into Sonora, a just and 
wise government maintained, nnd guarantees furnished to 
labor and capital, this State would quickly rival Califor- 
nia in the amount of her mineral productions, and would 
soon outdo the best stock-raising States of our own 
country, in the production of horses, mules, and horned 
cattle, 

TO EECAPITULATE. 

The State has an area of say 80,000 square miles. Of 
this area, more than one-fifth is susceptible of cultivation. 



28 

More than one-tliird is good grazing land, and full one- 
third is valueless for agricultural or grazing purposes. 

The population is not more than 1,, persons of all ages, 
sexes, and colors, to each square mile of territory. 

One-half the territory is ravaged by the hostile Apaches, 
almost without attempt at defence on the part of the in- 
habitants. 

The richest portion of the State is occupied by civilized 
Indians, i"n almost constant revolution. Nevertheless, the 
State produces from three millions to five millions annu- 
ally of the precious metals, and sufficient breadstuflfs to 
supply the population and furnish a considerable amount 
for export. 

She possesses, in her different districts, soil and climate, 
suited to the production of almost every grain and fruit 
known in America. She would be able, if administered 
by a strong and just government, affording protection to 
life, property, and industry, to multiply her mineral pro- 
ducts at least ten times, and her agricultural products 
almost indefinitely. She possesses a port advantageously 
situated for supplying imports to all her own territory, as 
well as that of eastern Chihuahua and Arizona; and that 
port, it will be seen by a glance at the map, is the easiest 
one on the Pacific coast to be reached by a railway from 
the Gulf States of our country. 

One day these resources and advantages will be devel- 
oped and enjoyed ; but such a consummation cannot be 
attained until a strong government shall rule the destinies 
of Mexico. 

"Washington, D. C, December, 1860. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESI 



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